Method and apparatus for making a non-woven fabric



Jam 2l, 1969 P. sl-:GLMNr METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MKING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC Sheet 1 Filed OCT.. 7. 1966 INVENTOR PlERRE sEGulN ATTO RN EY Jan. 21, 1969 P. SEGUIN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC Sheet Filed OCL. '7. 1966 INVENTOR PIERREv SEGUIN ATTORNEY P. SEGUIN 3,422,511

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC Jan. 2l, 1969 FIG. 6

Filed Oct. 7', 1966 FIG. 5

INVENTOR PIERRE SEGUIN ATTORNEY 35,566, 35,576 U.S. Cl. 28-1 18 Claims Int. Cl. D02g 3/40 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for making a composite non-woven fabric web with interleaved loops of weft yarns in which at least some of these loops have straight side edges including a pair of feed rolls between which upper and lower webs of parallel yarns are passed, and helical strips disposed in advance of the nip of the feed rolls on opposite sides of said web. Selvage yarns are passed through the helical members and weft yarns are wrapped in the form of loops around the helical members. The rotation of the helical members advances the weft yarns to the nip of the rolls between said webs. The weft yarns extending between the selvage yarns are fed between the webs of parallel yarns and all of the yarns are adhesively secured together to form a non-woven web.

This invention relates to the manufacture of non-woven fabrics and has for an object to provide a fabric of the above type having novel and improved characteristics.

The manufacture of non-woven fabrics by uniting webs of warp yarns and weft yarns is already known. A process and a device particularly useful for that purpose have been described in French 'Patent No. 1,208,968 of Jan. 12, 1958, delivered Sept. 14, 1959.

The process of the above patent consists of spirally winding weft yarn or yarns on two selvage yarns to form a web of ilat loops and enclosing the latter between two convergent warp yarn webs and then uniting the webs by an adhesive. The tension in the fabric should be slight to avoid the formation of irregularly and variably spaced loops. On the other hand, the weft cannot be made vtoo taut because of the risk of deformation of selvages and the production of fabrics with irregular edges.

In accordance with the present invention the weft loops are Ifor-med over successive turns of helically wound strips which are disposed on opposite sides of the web and are rotated to advance the weft turns with the warp webs.l

The helices are preferably of increasing diameter in the direction of feed with their larger diameter ends substantially touching the sides of the web so that the weft loops and the selvage are laid together along the advancing webs of warp yarns but in some instances may have a cylindrical form depending on the results desired.

Specifically the weft loops are made from a pair of yarns which are so fed that the loops made from the two yarns alternate along the fabric. In one embodiment, using pairs of interleaved helices to carry the loops,lthe successive loops are caused to partially overlap in the webs.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specic embodiment is set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of apparatus for making a web in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

JUnited States bPatent O Patented Jan. 21, 1969 ICC FIG. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 1 but on a larger scale illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail showing the arrangement of the loops on the double helix of FIG. 3;

` FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views illustrating further embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a detail section illustrating a flyer having a pair of arms displaced by degrees.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as embodied in an apparatus including a pair of feed rolls 11 and 12 between which an upper web 13 and a lower web 14, each composed of spaced parallel warp yarns, are fed. The rolls may have a soft resilient surface and are mounted on shafts 15 and 16 which are driven by suitable means not shown.

A rotary selvage guide member 21 is disposed on each side of the webs 13 and 14 in the plane of the bite of the feed rolls 11 and 12. Each guide member comprises a hollow shaft 22 carrying a cone 23 having its small end disposed in advance of the bite of the feed rolls and carrying a conical helical strip 24 which is coaxial therewith and is composed of a stiff wire or tape such as a metal. The axis of the member 21 is so disposed that the open large end of the helix 24 substantially contacts the side edge of the webs of warp yarns.

Selvage yarns 25 are fed from packages 26 mounted below the feed roll 12, into the ends of the hollow shafts 22 and axially through the cones 23 and the helices 24 to be laid thereby along the side edges of the yarn webs 13 and 14 and thereafter to be fed along with the webs.

The weft yarn loops are laid by a rotary yer 31 mounted on a hollow shaft 32 in advance of the feed rolls 11 and 12 and carrying arms 33 having end portions 34 which are displaced by 180 and disposed to span the outer surfaces of the cones 23 as they rotate. A'pair of yarns 35 and 36 extend axially into the shaft 32 from sources not shown which may be mounted to rotate with the shaft 32. The yarns are fed into the respective arms 33 and pass out of openings 37 in the ends 34 thereof to be laid in a succession of loops 38 and 39 around the two cones 23 in a plane in advance of the bite of the feed rolls 11 and 12.

The shaft 32 is driven by suitable means such as a belt 40, and the shafts 22 are driven in a predetermined ratio therewith by a drive chain 41 engaging sprockets 42 and 43 carried respectively by the shaft 32 and the shafts 22. Guide rings 44 on the shafts 15 and 16 engage the helices 24 to prevent the same from vibrating. The composite web composed of the upper and lower webs 13 and 14, the selvage yarns 25 and the weft loops 38 and 39 is compacted between calendar roll 45 and a presser roll 57 and is impregnated by a bonding agent in tank 56 by which the yarns are bonded together to form an open mesh, non-woven web having substantial longitudinal strength. The web may be used for belting or other purposes requiring similar characteristics.

In operation of this apparatus the upper and lower warp webs 13 and 14 advance between the feed rolls 11 and 12 while the selvage yarns 25 advance through the hollow cones 23 and helices 24. The weft loops 38 and 39 are laid alternately and in succession around the outer surfaces of the cones 23 by the rotating arms 33 and advance along the conical surfaces thereof until they enter the bite of the Vfeed rolls 11 and 12 through which they pass between the upp'er and lower warp webs 13 and 14. As the loops 38 and 39 leave the small end of the cones 23 they are picked up by the helices 24 and are fed along by the convolutions of the helices until they are discharged from the free ends thereof. During this part of their path of travel the weft loops extend over the Selvage yarns 25 and hold the latter against the inner surfaces of the helical ribbons as they advance. The rotation of the arms 33 is timed with respect to the pitch and speed of rotation of the helices 24 so that the successive loops are held by successive convolutions of the helices as they advance. Hence the loops are evenly spaced along the composite web.

Since the loops are laid on the outer surface of the cones 23 they converge along the conical surfaces and also along the conical convolutions of the helices together with the Selvage yarns until they are discharged from the ends of the helices. The loops are thus tensionless at their points of discharge and lie loosely between the warp Webs without pulling the selvage yarns together. Hence the Selvage yarns lie along and parallel to the warp yarns to produce a composite web of uniform width.

In this embodiment successive loops 38 and 39 are disposed on successive turns of the helices 34 and are laid alternately between the warpwise webs 13 and 14, with successive passes of the weft yarns crossing within the web.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an arrangement wherein the loops are formed with longitudinally extending side portions Which lie along the selvage and successive loops are laid in overlapping position between the webs.

The elements which are the same as those of FIGS. 1 and 2 have been given the same reference numbers with the sufx tz and will not be redescribed.

In this embodiment the yer 31a carries a single arm 33a having in its end portion 34a a pair of spaced holes 37a and 37b through which the weft yarns 35a and 36a pass respectively. The two yarns are thus laid in spaced pairs from one flyer arm instead of from two yer arms as shown in FIG. 1. It is to be understood, however, that a single arm 33a may be used in the system of FIG. 1 or that a pair of arms 33 may be used in the system of FIG. 3 if desired as both embodiments are adapted to lay a pair of weft loops in succession around the cones 23 or 23a.

In the apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4 each helix 24 of FIG. l is replaced by a pair of helices 24a and 24b having interleaved turns With their small ends attached at diametrically opposite points on the small ends of the cones 23a.

In this arrangement each of the loops 38a and 39a extend over adjacent turns of the two helices to form the longitudinal side portions and successive loops are displaced by one turn each so that each loop partly overlaps the preceding loop as shown in FIG. 4 so as to impart increased stability to the resulting web. Since the yarns are laid in pairs the wefts extend in parallal relationship and do not cross within the web.

In the embodiment of FIG. the weft loops are laid around a pair of cylindrically wound double helices 46 and 47 from a flyer having a pair of arms displaced by 180 as shown in FIG. 1. The Selvage yarn is not shown but may be used as in the previous forms, if desired. The helices are assumed to be rotated at twice the speed of the flyer.

In this embodiment the weft loops 48 and 49 formed from the two arms of the yer are displaced by one turn of the helices and are each carried on a pair of successive turn of the helices as shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 5 however due to the 180 displacement of the flyer arms, the weft loops cross centrally of the web as indicated at 50 whereas in the form of FIG. 3 the two wefts are parallel but do not cross.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 differs from that of FIG. 5 in that a single helix 52 is used on one side of the web and a double helix 52 is used on the other side. A flyer having arms displaced by 180 is used as in FIG. 1 and the helices are rotated at twice the speed of the yer. In this form the two weft loops 53 and 54 are disposed on successive turns of the single helix 51, but are offset over pairs of turns of the double helix 52 crossing at 55 within the borders of the web. Selvage yarns have not been shown but may be included if desired as in the forms of FIGS. 1 to 4.

The embodiment of FIG. 7 shows a pair of double helices 60 and 61 (as shown in FIG. 5), but the helices are offset axially by one turn and are used with a flyer having a pair of arms 62 displaced by 90 as shown in FIG. 8. The helices are rotated at twice the speed of the flyer as above set forth. In this embodiment the weft loops 63 and 64 are formed in parallel pairs, the loops of each pair being displaced by one turn on the helices but the loops of successive pairs are separated by a turn of the helices. The wefts do not cross within the web.

Various other combinations may be used with the single or double helices and using the yer arrangement of FIGS. l, 3 and 8 and using conical or cylindrical helices, depending upon the product desired.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a composite non-woven fabric web which comprises wrapping a pair of weft yarns as interleaved parallel loops about a spaced pair of selvage yarns, passing the same in tensionless state between upper and lower webs composed of parallel warp yarns, and bonding the warp and weft yarns together.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 in which at least some of said loops have straight side edges extending along the selvage by which successive passes of the weft are spaced along the web.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 in which successive passes of the weft across the web are spaced to an extent such that the two weft yarns are parallel and do not cross within the web.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 in which the weft yarns cross within the web.

5. The method set forth in claim .1 in which the loops are initially extended beyond the sides of the web and are laid along the sides of the web with the Selvage yarns before bonding.

6. A non-woven fabric made by the method of claim 1 comprising two parallel warp yarn webs joined by :means of an adhesive with an intermediate layer including a pair of Selvage yarns carrying a Winding composed of a pair of weft yarns disposed to form successive interleaved parallel loops, at least some of said loops having straight portions extending -along said Selvage.

7. A web as set forth in claim 6 in which successive loops are partly overlapped.

8. Apparatus for making a composite non-woven fabric web with interleaved loops of weft yarns in which at least some of these loops have straight side edges and comprising'a pair of feed rolls, a pair of spaced members composed of helically Wound strips having their axes disposed in the plane of the nip of said rolls and extending from the outlet side thereof, means passing a Selvage yarn axially through each of said helical lmembers from a point in advance of said nip, means including a yer web for wrapping a pair of weft yarns around said selvage yarns in advance of said nip to form a succession of interleaved parallel weft loops, means passing a pair of Webs of parallel warp yarns through said nip and on opposite sides of said loops whereby the loops are compacted between said Webs, and means rotating said helices for feeding the loops therealong.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which said helices are rotated at twice the speed of the flyer so as to space successive passes of the weft yarns across the web and form loops having straight portions extending along the selvage of the web.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which the flyer is formed with a pair of arms displaced by 180.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which the yer is composed of a pair of arms displaced by from which the weft yarns are fed.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which the flyer is -formed with a single arm having a pair of spaced openings therein from which the two weft yarns are fed.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which al1 of the convolutions `are of the same diameter.

14. Apparatus as set -forth in claim 8 in which said helices have successive turns of increasing diameter.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which at least one of said helices is composed of a pair of strips wound with interleaved convolutions.

16. Apparatus as set -forth in claim 8 in which rotating hollow cones are disposed coaxially with said helices and are disposed in advance of said nip, said selvage yarns passing through said cones `and through said helices and said weft yarn loops being formed around said cones.

17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 16 in which each of said helices is composed of a pair of helically wound strips with interleaved turns, the ends of said strips being disposed at diametrically opposite points on said cones.

18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which the axes of said helices are displaced beyond the edges of said webs and said helices converge at their outlet ends to the sides of said webs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,321,512 6/ 1943 Protz 28-74 X 3,041,230 6/ 1962 Diehl 156-439 X FOREIGN PATENTS 616,243 7/ 1935 Germany.

LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner. 

